Vending emerges 'Ahead of the Curve' of eating trends.

SPARTANBURG, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 1994--

Note To Editors: The National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA), the association of the vending industry, is hosting its national convention and trade show Nov. 3-5. NAMA'S 48th annual event, which takes place at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta, features more than 280 exhibitors and 7,500 vending industry executives are expected to be in attendance.

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Care for a cappuccino? Sparkling mineral water? Vegetarian burger? Bagel and cream cheese? Just check out the latest in vending machine offerings.

Canteen Corp., a food service management company and the world's leading provider of vending services, reports that traditional vending - packaged cookies, chips and soft drinks - has emerged to meet the needs of what and how people eat today.

"With new vending technology, we're able to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to quickly offering new menu choices in response to customer trends," said Gailard Ring, director of vending equipment for Canteen. "People used to say `I'm going to the snack machine,' and vending was only used for that. Now, we offer everything from frozen, low-fat meals to fast-food-style combo meals and flavored coffees."

With increasing demands at work and home, people don't have time to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday, but they still want brand name foods, health-conscious selections and fresh-baked sweets and snack foods, according to Ring. Vending offers customers all of the above, plus the convenience of having what they want anytime, anywhere.

Frozen foods, including desserts, are now available via new vending technology. In partnerships with equipment manufacturers and national food brands, Canteen offers popular entrees from companies such as Stouffer's(R), Healthy Choice(R) and Weight Watchers(R). The new machines come complete with scanner microwaves which "read" the bar code on the box for appropriate cooking times and temperatures.

Refrigerated "reach-in" vending machines have evolved from offering only pre-packaged sandwiches to fresh-made breakfast biscuits, hamburgers, vegetarian burgers, gourmet pizza, fresh fruit, yogurt, salads and breakfast cereals. In fact, Canteen offers its signature Pazzelli's(R) Pizzas, Classy Cookies(R), Bigger Better Biscuits(R) and other popular dining center fare in vending. The company's new Value Express value-priced combo meals - originally designed for its contract dining centers - have also been adapted for vending.

Now a mainstream favorite, fresh-ground and gourmet coffees are firmly established in vending with bean grinders and cappuccino frothers replacing the conventional coffee vending technology.

Canteen now offers one machine which satisfies coffee traditionalists, trend-setters and experimentalists alike. The new machine has varieties such as fresh-ground decaf or regular, vanilla, cafe mocha, hot chocolate, cafe au lait, and cappuccino coffees, available with varying amounts of sugar, artificial sweetener and creamer.

According to Ring, Canteen's secret to innovative vending services lies in technology. "With our hand-held vending computers, our route service people can immediately determine what product mix is working," he said. "Because each machine can be quickly adapted, we can easily experiment with new items and respond to customer requests, without giving up popular vended items."

Even as society has become more and more "cashless," food service companies such as Canteen now offer user-friendly vending debit cards and machines with large bill changers. And, according to one industry trade publication, consumers are spending approximately $28 billion annually for vended food and beverages.

With more than four million machines located throughout the U.S., vending has kept up with lifestyle changes by offering more outlets in more places -- taking advantage of being in the right place at the right time.

What's next for vending?

"With vending's unique ability to quickly respond to changing tastes and both food service retailers and manufacturers looking for expanding points of distribution, we see consumers as the ultimate winners who will make vending a `first choice' in food service fare," noted Ring.

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Color slide featuring frozen food vending available upon request.

CONTACT: Canteen Corp., Spartanburg

Elaine Richner, 803/597-8111